1st year review of Anemone 'Wild Swan'

I know Doug wanted to be informed of its progress so I thought I would start a post on it...

I'm loving it so far! It seems to be churning out the flowers faster than Ben & Jerry's churns out ice cream. Only things I have against it (and they are fairly minor so far):

1) it seems to get wilty now and again where I have it. Could be because it is a little sunnier and/or dryish here than it would like.

2) the flowers turn brown after flowering. I detest white flowers that do this...but it isn't a huge issue since it is where I can easily lop off their old heads...

3) not a complaint so much as an observation...this plant must be placed where you can easily see the backsides (hehehe!). The lavender/blue shading is subtle enough to be lost if you were to plant this Anemone too far from front of the border.

Here are some pics:

Flower close-up taken this spring

Whole plant pic taken today

-Doug, didn't you say you contacted the breeder of this plant awhile ago? She didn't happen to mention how much it spreads did she? Just curious...
CMK

Mine, unfortunately, didn't thrive. I'll leave it in place, and maybe it will come back next year. We had some heat spells at the worst time, and it may have gotten hit with too much overshoot from extablishing the small patch of sod. Given the chance, I'd try this one again. It is lovely.

(If you have time could you take a picture a bit further back one can see the whole plant.)

It seems to be churning out the flowers faster than Ben & Jerry's churns out ice cream.

Now that is exciting to read. Lots to look forward to for others having or soon to have this unique perennial.

A few qs if you don't mind:

- I know this is the first year in the ground for you, but even so when did it first begin to flower for you?

(Supposedly one of the important difference of this anemone overall others is that flowering begins much earlier and there is consistent re-blooming all season)

- how tall is it with flowers?

I have 4 of these "Wild Swan" planted earlier this summer and I have positioned them in pairs in different garden beds on our property. (I have 2 of them planted nearer the foundation which I hope will give these 2 specimens to an edge in surviving their first winter as it isn't clear as to their zone hardiness.

Although all 4 of mine are healthy there are no signs of any flowers (see pic.below).

I am hoping they are a little less water needy in subsequent seasons when they are more established.

She didn't happen to mention how much it spreads did she?

And the other 'improvement' of this anemone over others is its "good behaviour" ie it does not spread.

-Sammy, sorry! I once had a place use one of my pics without permission, so I am a bit leery of opening my account to the public. Not sure if there is some setting I could have it on that would allow for views/comments but no copying??? No clue...

-Doug, in bloom it stands around 22 inches tall. It started to bloom a few weeks after planting it this spring. Next year will probably give a better idea what its 'real' bloom cycles are like.

Good to hear it isn't much of a spreader! That is what I thought about the water requirements- hopefully it won't require as much once fully established.
CMK

Any idea where I can buy Wild Swan (or other Japanese Anemones that can do well here on the relatively mild side of West Los Angeles, for that matter)? My local nurseries never have them; perhaps because it's too warm for them here, but I have a part-shady spot that might suit them and I'd like to try them. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.

Have you tried asking at an Armstrong Nursery if they could special order Wild Swan from Monrovia for you? I suspect, though, that there was not an adequate supply from Monrovia to meet the first year release demand. The places I have seen them had only a few plants, and those sold quickly. They never got more in during the remainder of the season. It generally takes at least a few years for the growers to build up stock for new plants. And lovely Wild Swan seems to have drawn a lot of interest.
Most nurseries in Southern California sell anemones during this time of year, their bloom period. I'm not familiar with the nurseries located in your area; sorry I can't be of more help.

Thanks. Yes I did contact Monrovia and the Armstrong and other nurseries within driving distance, but no luck. In fact, they had no Japanese Anemones of any kind, did not know if they would get any in, and were unsure if they could special order them for me now. I was a bit surprised that no one seemed to have anything, since this seems like the time of year that I've noticed them in stock before. I will keep looking -- I'd really like to try my hand with Wild Swan and/or Hadspen Abundance if only I could find them -- but fear I'll have to wait until next year ...

I always thought anemones were some of the nicest flowers but the short bloom season always bothered me. Rouge- I wonder if next year yours will bloom for as long as christin's, maybe they need to experience a winter before going into blooming mode, I know some chrysanthemums won't bloom until they go through that vernalization.
The brown blooms might bug me a little after the flowers fade.... Also a pet peeve of mine. White butterfly bushes love to do this too.

I saw "Wild Swan" at the local nursery yesterday. Wasn't impressed with the growth habit in the pot - was looking a bit weedy, not nice tight mounded foliage like Japanese anemones. I do realize that sometimes plants look different in the ground, though. There were no blooms on any of them. I would have bought a pot or two just to try, but the price was $16.99 with only 20% off, that's too high for me to buy something just for the heck of it, to try. Anyway, I guess I can go back in a week or two if I'm in the area to see if they slash the price for end of the season. Otherwise, not this year.

I planted 4 of these plants in mid June 2013. I did my best to mulch them significantly this past fall but even so I will be shocked if they do make it through this already very trying winter. Right now it shows -20 C (= -4 F) on the thermometer with this cold snap continuing for the foreseeable future. .

Love anemones, but haven't planted them here because of the usually brief bloomtime in my neck of the woods (3 weeks), so this report really caught my eye. Thanks for the heads-up! The long bloom, simple wildflower form & non-roving nature really add to its charm.

At the link below, found the new "Shop Monrovia" which allows online orders to be shipped for free to your local Monrovia dealer garden center for pick up, beginning early this year. This "Coming Soon" link is at the top left of the page. Their "find a retailer" shows that they've recently (whenever that may have been) delivered pots of White Swan to a local center, but don't like that particular outfit. Nice to know I should be able to have it shipped to another business I do appreciate. May answer the where to buy question for many of us intrigued by this variety.

Listed for zones 6-8 on that site, but I take their recommendations with a good dose of salt since they're usually very conservative on that score. Also noted "partial shade to partial sun" & wondering if, like hydrangeas, more shade than noonday sun applies here as you move further South?

Bought one more to try. It is a better time of year to plant and there was a 20% off coupon to use. I worried a bit about that the 6-8 zone listed (I am in z9), but A. Honorine Jobert is listed at zone 4-8 and thrived at our old house. We'll see.

Shop Monrovia isn't showing Wild Swan available - drat. Trying to find another mailorder supplier, came across this info indicating zones 5-9. Get the feeling this hasn't been widely grown yet across the USA...

Hope those who've planted them previously enjoy their survival through this harsh Winter. Let us know. Anyone finding a dependable American supplier, please share.

My new Wild Swan seems to be much happier. I planted it among some bromeliads, where the morning sun gives way to bright, dappled shade and the soil retains more moisture. It also probably helps that it isn't late in the season and right before a heat wave, as were the circumstances with the first plant.

It is smaller than it was at the end of last season too. Looks more like the size it was when first purchased that spring.

This winter was a difficult one on my garden (lost a number of things), so it might have been stunted by that. Last year it didn't really "get going" until summer, so maybe it will do the same this time around.

Just how robust are yours? Similar to your pic from last year or bigger?

Regarding not blooming...do you use a fertilizer? If so, how high is the nitrogen? A phosphorus high fertilizer might help promote blooming.
CMK

The two plants close to the foundation of the house are as large as they were at the end of last season. I am not concerned that the health of the soil; lots of organic material. They are side by side in this picture, each about 14" high by about 18" wide.

Mine hasn't bloomed yet. In fact, it look about the same as it did in the April photo. The nearby experimental Grevillea x gaudichaudi has far outpaced it, and I have to keep redirecting the blooming branches so Swannie doesn't get covered. So far I'm liking the grevillea better. [Just trying to nudge Swan into doing s-o-m-e-t-h-I-n-g. ;) ]

Has anyone tried it in the SE US, with our wam humid summers? I have found that japanese anemones even, seem to grow more vigorously with cool nights (when I lived in Nebraska) vs the humid soup we have.

This is its second year in my garden but the first year of getting blooms and I am getting enough so that it remains in my good books for this year. (It took a bit getting used to seeing an Anemone rebloom.)

I did move one of my 4 to a different location a few weeks ago and it showed no transplant shock and I like the fact that it is more upright now. It seems to me that the stems on WS are not as sturdy as those of other JAnemone I have.

That is interesting 'Falcon'. And your single plant has been in your garden for now 2 seasons? I ask as mine only bloomed in the second year.

I cant complain too much about the flowering of my three which have been in bloom since mid July or so but they are too floppy...much more than my other traditional Japanese Anemone. I will give them one more year to see if this aspect improves.

This particular Swan was planted in January, so maybe another year is needed. In Southern California, it is not typical for plants to take long to get established. The other anemone cultivars are blooming now; maybe this one is later seasonally.